"Elephant Trunk" Tornado

(Part 4 of 6) At its mature peak, the Sargent tornado developed this striking, tapered, elephant-trunk shape. Sunlight shone through the cloud base, thanks to dry air sinking through the occlusion downdraft (a small part of the supercell's rear-flank downdraft that carves out a clear slot and wraps around the lower levels of the mesocyclone). Those crepuscular rays beaming across the most threatening part of the sky added some contrast and irony to the scene.